Snow Princess

Happy Saturday!  Today is going to be a beautiful day in the Central Valley with temps in the low 80's.  I have a fun day planned as I am going to be taking a class this afternoon from the oh so talented Linda Duke.  Linda will be at The Cat's Meow teaching us to make her beautiful vintage style Christmas tags that she is so famous for.  I am taking her afternoon class, so that will give me time to meet some of my stamping pals for lunch before we head to class.  I can't wait!

The card I am sharing with you today is a sweet little Pure Innocence girl from the My Favorite Things Flurry of Love set.  I have wanted some of these PI stamps for a long time and finally scored a few.  Hooray!  When I saw that the Outlawz Friday Copic/Promarker challenge was to use pink, I new she would be perfect.  I colored her with a variety of Copic markers.  I cut the image panel and pink panel with the new Nesties Labels 23.  I really love the edge on this set.  The base card is white with a layer of aqua and kiwi double dot cardstocks.  The pretty stripe is a varnished paper from the Pebbles Happy Go Lucky line.  The snowflake is a combo of  the new Nesties Create a Flake Three and a MS snowflake punch.  The snowflake is topped off with a giant gem from Hero Arts.  I have added Diamond glitter glue to the snowflakes that are falling around the little pink Snow Princess.

This will be one of three cards that we will be creating in my Winter Kids class on Oct 29.  If you are in the Yosemite area and want to take a class e-mail us at:  catsmeow (at) sti (dot) net

See you soon,

Watercolor Butterflies

Happy Thursday! Today I have a quick post to share a card that I created for a class that I taught a few weeks ago.  

My card was inspired by the card to the left.  I don't know who made it,  but I knew I liked it and saved it in my inspiration file when I saw it.  If you know who might have made it,  please let me know so that I can give proper credit. This is another great reason to watermark your photos, ya never know when someone wants to give you a little shout out. :) 

 For my card, I used the Hero Arts Friend definition stamp for the background, it was embossed  in white and then the panel was edged with Tea Dye ink. The butterfly is Memory Box's Cocoa Bean butterfly.  I colored my butterflies with three different colors of Lyra Watercolor Crayons and then spritzed the stamp with some pearl shimmer spray and stamped onto 140# cold press watercolor paper. This stamp has a matching die, so I then cut them out and edged them with Tea Dye Distress ink.   Don'tcha love it when you don't have to spend extra time fussy cutting your images?  Well, I gotta run.  See you soon.

Monday Morning Ranunculus

Hi there, just a quick post today to let you all know that I am still alive!  I seem to be in a bit of a stamping funk! I tried to stamp Friday afternoon.....nothing.  Saturday.......nothing and then again yesterday.......still nothing.  I hope today Mr. Mo and Jo show back up because I have some projects that are on a deadline and must get done.  Eeek!

What I am sharing with you today is a little notebook that we made in one of my recent classes.  The Stampendous Ranunculus stamp was embossed in white ep and then colored in with light and medium toned Copics.  I found the little notepads at my local Rite-Aide in the dollar bin.  Love that!  The overall design was really pretty fast and easy.  I love that too!  Well, I am off to get ready for work, I hope you all have a happy Monday!

It's a California Poppy kinda day!

Good morning!  Today I am sharing a card I created for a class I taught a few weeks ago.  Being a California girl, I loves me some poppies!  I started by stamping this beautiful poppy image from the Stampendous Poppy Bottles set in Memento Black ink on white cardstock and then stamped it again a second time, colored it with Copic markers and a bit of Prismacolor pencil.  I popped the colored image up onto the uncolored image with some Tombow Foam Tabs to give it some dimension.  That gorgeous print paper is from Creative Imaginations, I really like how bright and cheery it is. 

Well, I better get busy as I have a boatload of stuff going on this week.

See you soon,

Daffy Dil

Wow, if this card doesn't say Spring, I don't know what will.  This is one of the cards from my recent Spring has Sprung class.  I used this adorable little Daffy Dil stamp from Printworks.  Daffy was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a Petite Oval Nestie die and colored with Copics. The lime and buttercup panels are from Bo Bunny's new "Double Dot" line. These prints don't have dots though, the lime has large flourishes on one side and petite flourishes on the reverse.  The buttercup panel has stripes on one side and small octagons on the reverse.  I stamped the Daffy a second time so that I could pop up the flower blossom.  The rest of the design is pretty simple and straight forward.  I also stamped an beautiful Easter sentiment from Printworks onto the inside of the card.  Now I just need to get it in the mail so it reaches it's destination by Easter.  Wish me luck!

Want the instructions?  Here is the PDF.

Betsy Wetsy

Ha, ha Betsy Wetsy, isn't that the perfect title for this card?  Ya get it, she is Betsy and she is givin' the flowers a little wetsy?  Sometimes I even crack myself up! Maybe it is called sleep deprivation?  This card was the last of the three Penny Black Betsy Bluebell cards from a class a few weeks ago. I watercolored this card with Tombow markers on 140# watercolor paper.  The layout is simple and basic, so no need to go into all of the details for you. I will tell you that the fun print paper is from an older My Mind's Eye collection called Out and About.  I had been hoarding this paper for quite some time and I have to tell you, it felt really good to finally use it.
Have a super day!

Thanks a bunch!

Happy Sunday!  I hope everyone is enjoying their long holiday weekend. I always love it when I get to spend some extra time with my sweetie. 

Speaking of sweeties, today I am sharing another adorable Betsy Bluebell image from Penny Black.  I colored this Betsy with Prismacolor pencils.  This was one of three cards from a recent class I taught.  Each of the cards was colored with a different medium.  You can see Copic Betsy here.  In a few days, I will share Watercolor Betsy with you.  The overall design of the card was pretty simple, I added a bit of glossy accents to the center of Betsy's flowers.  I lucked out and found that adorable yellow button with the flower center to accent my card with.  The button is tied with a little twine. Ya know I love finished button holes.  My mantra is:  No nekkid buttons!

Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

Hugs,

Partridge in a Pear Tree

Happy Saturday! It's rainy, cold and windy here today. I have been in the studio for most of the day creating a few cards and tags for Christmas. I have several Christmas cards that I have not posted yet, so over the next few days I will try to get through them all and get caught up. (wishful thinking)

This card is one I did for a class last month. This cute little Partridge in a Pear Tree is from Stampendous. I colored it with Copic markers and then added some Spica Glitter pens and a few red flat nailheads to the berries for a little extra detail. I'm pretty sure a partridge isn't blue, but what the heck, he's cute! The details are below:

Stamps: Partridge in Pear Tree (Stampendous) Cardstock: Racy Raspberry, Deep Green (Treasures by Worldwin), Neenah CC Natural Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Extras: Copics, Spica Glitter Pens, Divine Swirls CB EF, Petite Oval Classic and Scallop Nesties

Sneaky Peeky for Green Tangerines

Today I have a sneak peek to share with you. I will be heading to Green Tangerines in Rocklin, CA next Saturday to teach a group of gals about Copic Markers. After a bit of time learning about the markers, they will complete one card using the Whoooo Owls from Stampendous and one using the Santa Gift stamp from Hero Arts.

For my local gals at The Cat's Meow, you will create these two, plus one more in my October 31st (I think) class. I have a boatload of classes (4) planned for October, so be sure to check with Sharon to sign up.

ETA: Have passport, will travel to teach........hello Ireland or Germany or Australia ..........I am waiting to here from you. :=)

Stamping hugs,

Quick Butterfly Cards

Here are the cards that the gals made in my class today. For each card we used a couple of butterfly punches from EK Success. The designs are simple, but we used some sort of fun tool on each one. For the Raspberry/Vine card I had them stamp the vine with Lettuce Adirondack ink and then color the leaves with Copic markers (YG03 and YG05). The small butterflies were punched out of Dark Racy Raspberry cs from Worldwin and the large ones were punched from SEI's Brigeport collection. The large butterfly in the middle is the reverse side of the paper from the other two. For the berries we used some little metal stickers from ??? (I will look on Monday and let you know) These happen to be berry colored but they come in gold, silver and probably other colors too! A little bit of stickles was used on the berry colored butterflies for added bling. For the next card, I cut Hillary Bazzill cardstock into 4Bar sized cards (3 1/2 x 5) and we ran it through the Cuttlebug using the Leafy Branch embossing folder. We had to run it through once and then scooch the folder over a bit to get the full width of the card. The butterfly was mounted onto an inchie square that had been stamed with a background image in Lettuce ink. It was then placed on the berry panel and attached to the card. A little clear gem was added for the head of the butterfly. There is a white panel with the small butterfly punched out of the corner on the inside of the card. For the last card we scored 1/8" around the white panel (it is hard to see in the pic) and then layered to the Hillary panel and then to the white card. The butterflies are from the SEI Brigeport collection also. "Amazing Friend" (Hero Arts) was stamped in Cranberry Adirondack ink. It was a fun class and the ladies were all great! I just love them all! hugs,

Happy Friday! These are the 3 cards that I will be teaching at The Cat's Meow tomorrow. All of the stamps are from the Hero Arts Birthday Frame and Messages set. You can get it here. For the cupcake and slice of cake cards, I used Copics to color the images. On the party hat, I used Prismacolor Pencils. Well, I gotta run............I have to finish cutting/packing my kits. If you have any questions about any of the cards, leave me a comment and I will fill ya in! hugs,

Bling 3

Man o' man have I been busy. Today I went to town and visited with my Mom and sister. One of the first things my sis said was "you need to update your blog", so Sis....... this post is for you.

This is the last of the Bling cards that the gals will be making in Saturday's class. The base card is brown cs from Worldwin and then a layer of orange Worldwin cs. The print paper is Beloved Blooms from My Mind's Eye's 29th Street Market collection. I think these papers were some of my favorites from CHA. I stamped the Dot Flourish and Butterfly stamp (both from Inkadinkado) in brown ink on cream cardstock. I stamped the butterfly a second time, painted with Twinkling H20's and cut and layered to the butterfly on the cream panel. The words (from Penny Black) are stamped in brown ink also. I finished off the card by adding Poppy colored rhinestones from MAMBI.

I have a few more pictures edited and ready to go, but it's getting late and I can't keep my eyes open anymore. Stay tuned!

Pink Bling

I almost forgot I was going to post pictures of the other cards for my "Bling" class. This is the 2nd of 3 cards that the gals will be making. For this card I started with some dark pink Bazzill cs for the card. I embossed one of the Dot Flourishes from Inkadinkado with Agean Silver EP from Judi-kins on white linen cardstock and layered it to a silver panel. I added a couple of Primas and some MAMBI rhinestones. Clipped the corners of the silver and white layers with my 1/2" circle punch.

Tomorrow I have to work, but I have the 3rd card in this series to share with you, so I will upload it after work.

Bling........bling

Good morning everyone! I am back from my weekend away with hubby and feel refreshed and rested. We went to Fort Bragg which is on the northern coast of CA. We stayed at a wonderful B & B (more about that later) and saw many little towns around the area. I have lived in CA all of my life and had seen much of the state, but never this part. I took several pictures and will try to get them downloaded into the computer and edited tonight. For now, I thought I would share one of my Bling cards for my class on April 26th. I am really into these colors lately, they just make me feel happy! For this class, I wanted to use the Dot Flourishes set from Inkadinkado. The flowers are from Prima and the Fern colored rhinestones are from Me and My Big Ideas. Of course you can buy everything here. The cardstock is from Bazzill and Worldwin. I used Turquoise ink from VersaColor. Well, I am off to get ready for work. TTFN!

Finally, a few pics

from my new camera. I am still learning how to use it and need to read the book completely and figure out all of the things I can do with it. (I really need to learn this before I go to CHA). These are the cards for my upcoming class. One of my new favorite stamp sets is Boho Blossoms from My Favorite Things and you can get them here. On this first card I embossed the flower in detail gold powder directly onto the print paper. This paper has a shimmer to it and it is gorgeous. The base card is brown shimmer cardstock and the print papers are from SEI. I embellished with some pale pink dew drops. It is hard to tell, but the shear ribbon has a little gold edge. Here is a close up of the flower/dew drops. The next card uses the open heart image from the set and I used World Win cardstock for the base and K & Co. Smitten paper for the background. I used Pink VersaColor ink for the flower and embossed with clear EP. I flower is stamped on cream glossy cardstock as I thought it really went great with the print on the paper. Now, this last card is my oh so favorite! I stamped the solid flower image with Black Brilliance ink and embossed with black EP. The base card is Bazzill Black cardstock and the print papers are from K & Co.'s Mira collection. I used Adirondack Mountain Rose ink to stamp the little design directly onto the print paper. The solid cardstock is from World Win and the color is called Geranium. It goes perfectly with the print paper. I embellished with some brads and a little yellow rhinestone in the center of the flower for some extra bling. Well, I am off to work (we're doing inventory) for the evening. I hope to upload a few more cards tomorrow.

Hugs to all!

Fun Folds

I recently taught a class on fun folds. You know we get in a rut and do the same standard folds all too often. Let me start by saying, I am nuts about surfing the web for ideas. This first card I have seen called Joy Fold card and you can find the instructions here. It is kinda hard to see in this pic but I stamped the pinecone stubby stamp from Stamps by Judith on the left fold of the card and the pine sprig stamp also from Judith on the right side of the brown Bazzill card. I stamped the pine sprig again in green on the larger cream confetti layer that Iused under the main image layer. The main image pinecone is from Inkadinkado and I just love it! Actually I have always liked pinecone stamps. Wierd! It is hard to tell, but the pinecone and pine branches are covered with Diamond Stickles. The next card is a double pocket card and although it uses a whole sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, the results are worth it. For this card I used SEI Mistletoe cardstock, a flourish from my Fancy Pants Bella Brush set and the Hero Arts Flourish Frame and Many Birds stamps. I used Brown VersaColor Ink and Lettuce Adirondack in for the tree and pot. I found the idea for the tree and pot in the Hero Arts Fall Supplement. I used Vanilla Versacolor ink for the flourishes on the tags. It is also hard to tell on this card, but I used Diamond Stickles on the tree and on the swirls on the pot. I can't remember where I saw the instructions for this one, but If I have time tomorrow, I will upload a tutorial for you.

Birds of a Feather #3

Okay, so it is not really a bird. I did use the Feather Flourish set from Stampendous to make it though. This card was inspired by a card I saw here on the net. For my card I used Bazzill cardstock for the base card and lavendar layer. For the image panel I stamped the flourishes with Lettuce Adirondack Ink. I stamped the leaves and print petals on scrap print paper/cardstock. The lavendar petals were colored with Tombow marker and then I painted a layer of Heavenly White Twinkling H2O's over them to give them a little zip. I went over the stem/flourish with Crystal Stickles. Added a little ribbon and voila! I think this turned out to be the favorite card in class.

Birds of a Feather #2

This was a fun card to create. The print paper and cardstocks for the layering are from Bo Bunny. The base card is a tone on tone white textured cardstock that we order from one of our local suppliers. I just love layering and this card has 5 layers plus the base card. The stamps are from The Feather Flourish set from Stampendous. I used Graphite Black Brilliance ink and Pink Azalea, Sunburst and True Blue Twinkling H2O's for the body of the bird. I wrapped 12" of fibers around my finger and punched a 1/8"hole in the tail of the bird an inserted the fibers and taped them down on the backside of the image. I embellished with a little Stickles on the bird and a turn mount and brad.

Tomorrow, I will upload card #3.

Birds of a Feather #1

I had a great time creating this card. The "hello" bird card is 5" x 7". I used Bazzill cardstock for the teal card and aqua layer. For the bird panel I used 120# cold press watercolor paper. The bird was stamped with Bark Versacolor ink and colored with Twinkling H2O's. I wet the body of the bird with water before I applied the color. This helps the colors blend a little better. The "hello" is from a Hero Arts set. The stamp actually says " A warm hello" but I needed a smaller stamp for the space, so I just inked part of the stamp. After the card was complete I went over all of the Bark lines with a Stardust Pen. I love the way the pen gives it that little extra shimmer. The stamp set used is called Feather Flourish and is from Stampendous.

I will upload another one tomorrow night.

Party with a punch!

I just love the Marvy Scallops. For my class tomorrow, we are partying with a punch.....I will use circles, squares and ovals and the Hampton Arts Best Birthday clear set. If you want them too, you can get them here.

For the first card I used the following goodies:

Paper: Tres Jolie
Stamps: Hampton Arts
Ink: Cardinal VersaColor
Bling: Diamond Stickles
Ribbon: Red/White Stripe
Punches: Mega and Super Jumbo Circles

For the next card:

Paper: Purple Tsumugi, White cardstock, Bazzill Print
Stamps: Hampton Arts
Ink: Galaxy Black Brilliance, Tombow Markers (#'s to follow)
Bling: Crystal Stickles
Ribbon: White Grosgrain
Punches: Giga and Mega Ovals and McGill Stacking Oval (size to follow)

For the final card you will need:

Paper: Deep Spring Green, Light Coffee Brown--Worldwin, Stripe--K & Co.
Stamps: Hampton Arts
Ink: Black VersaColor, Versamark
Bling: Pearl Liquid Pearls, Geo Stickers from Stampendous
Ribbon: 1/8" light blue satin
Punches: Mega and Super Jumbo Scallops